Heart patients taking cholesterol-lowering medication face an increased risk of depression, guilt and even violent death, according to a new study.
The study, conducted by researchers at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit and presented at the annual meeting of the American Psychosomatic Society in New Orleans on Wednesday, found patients who lower their cholesterol face a higher than expected number of deaths by homicide, suicide or accident."We looked at those who were on cholesterol-lowering agents versus those who were not and found that those who were on the cholesterol-lowering agents were more likely to be depressed and more likely to be somewhat anxious and worried," Dr. Mark Ketterer, a psychologist at Henry Ford Hospital, told Reuters in a telephone interview.
"This study is consistent with a whole slew of studies that have found people with low lipids, even if they are not being treated, tend to have higher rates of violent death - and that's a clustering of suicides, homicides and accidents," Ketterer said."
"It's been a puzzle all along," he said. "People have been sort of befuddled by it. The suspicion is that somehow lowering cholesterol changes brain chemistry."
Participants in the study included 174 males with an average age of 58 who were undergoing an X-ray procedure where dye is injected into the coronary arteries. Sixteen of the patients were taking cholesterol-lowering medication and the remainder served as a control group.
Each participant was asked to complete a questionnaire used to assess their level of depression, including factors such as feelings of anxiety, worry, sadness, weakness, hopelessness and suicide. The participants also selected a close friend or relative to complete the questionnaire to overcome any possible denial by the participant.
Results of the study showed that depression, guilt and crying were higher in the group of patients taking cholesterol-lowering medication compared to the control group. Anxiety, worry and thoughts of suicide also were somewhat elevated.
Ketterer said stress may also increase alcohol use, which has been found to be a common element in some of the violent deaths.
"One possible way of explaining this is that if alcohol use goes up, they may provoke other people or they may do antics with their car that result in accidents or homicides," Ketterer said.